Garment with readily adjustable and replaceable shoulder straps



Jan. 13, 1970 c. F. GAISSER GARMENT WITH READILY ADJUSTABLE ANDREPLACEABLE SHOULDER STRAPS Filed Jan. 12, 1968 INVENTOR. GLADYS F.G4/ssEe,

United States Patent 3,489,153 GARMENT WITH READILY ADJUSTABLE ANDREPLACEABLE SHOULDER STRAPS Gladys F. Gaisser, 23 High St., Apt. 9-D,Buffalo, N.Y. 14203 Filed Jan. 12, 1968, Ser. No. 697,475 Int. 'Cl. A41c3/06 US. Cl. 128--512 7 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A readilyadjustable and replaceable shoulder strap, consisting only of a strip ofmaterial having an abutment at one end, in combination with a brassiere,or the like, formed with eyelets at the front and back presentingapertures passing entirely therethrough. The free end of said strap isfirst inserted through the back eyelet and pulled entirely through untilstopped by engagement of said abutment, next passed over the shoulder ofa wearer and through the front eyelet, and finally pulled tight, loopedand knotted to adjust the strap length.

This invention relates to improvements in garments for feminine wear,and more particularly to a garment of the brassiere type, having readilydetachable and adjustable and replaceable shoulder straps.

It has been suggested that brassieres may well be provided withadjustable and replaceable straps. However, the known means foraccomplishing adjustment and replacement are usually such as to presentcertain disadvantages. Such known means include buckles, clamps, orhooks, and the like, which are difficult to use and adjust, which frayand wear through the fabric of the straps, or the brassiere, requiringdiscarding of the garment, and which frequently slip, or unhook duringuse.

It is a primary object of the present invention to provide a garmentwith shoulder straps which will obviate the above-stated disadvantages.

It is another important object of the invention to provide a garment inwhich the strap may be replaced easily when broken, or for washing whensoiled, by another strap of the same, or a different color as whenneeded to match the color of an outer garment.

It is a further important object of the invention to provide areplaceable shoulder strap consisting merely of a length of materialwith an abutment at one end, the strap being passed through apertures inopposed portions of the garment, the abutment preventing completepassage at one end of the strap, and the other end of the strap beingpassed through an aperture looped and knotted with a slip knot, such asa bow, which permits the ready adjustment and readjustment of the lengthof the strap.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide an improved detachableshoulder strap, having the above described characteristics, which may beeasily inserted, adjusted and readjusted even by persons havingarthritic, or other, defects which limit their dexterity.

Yet a further object of the invention is to provide an improved garment,having the above described characteristics, in which the shoulder strapsmay be positioned on the garment in any one of a number of selectedpositions to thereby best conform the garment to the individual wearer.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an improvedgarment, having the above described characteristics, in which theshoulder strap is free of all encumbrances and consists merely of astrip of material with a knot, or other form of abutment at one end,

and which may take a decorative form, such as a gathered, puckered, orpleated rosette.

It is still another object of the invention to provide a garment withshoulder straps which is of extremely simple construction, inexpensiveto make, and having straps quickly and easily adjustable and/orreplaceable while being worn.

The novel features that are considered characteristic of the inventionare set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The invention,itself, however, both as to its organization and its method ofoperation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, willbest by understood from the following description of specificembodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawing,wherein like reference characters indicate like parts throughout theseveral figures and in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a brassiere embodying the invention inposition on the body of a wearer and as viewed from the front;

FIG. 2 is a similar perspective view of the same brassiere, but asviewed from the back of the wearer;

FIG. 3 is an exploded elevational view showing only one of the shoulderstraps separated from the body portion of the brassiere;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary elevational view showing the front end of ashoulder strap passed through a front eyelet in the brassiere and inprocess of being tied to adjust the length of the shoulder strap;

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 4, but showing the knot completed andthe knot end tucked inside the brassiere;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary elevational view showing another embodiment ofthe invention in which a plurality of laterally and vertically spacedeyelets are mounted for selective reception of an end of the shoulderstrap; and

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary elevational view similar to FIG. 6, showingstill another embodiment of the brassiere.

Referring now more particularly to the drawing, FIGS. 15 illustrate apreferred embodiment of the invention in the form of a brassiere 10having separate, removable, adjustable, and replaceable straps 12. Thebrassiere may comprise any conventional construction and, asillustrated, usually is formed with the front section 14 having a pairof breast cups 16 and two side sections 18 extending rearwardly aroundthe torso of the wearer, the ends 20 of the side sections being providedwith clasp means such as hooks, not shown. At the upper edges of thefront sections and centrally above each breast cup is provided an eyelet22, desirably in the form of a metal ring having projecting teeth at theback which pierce the fabric of the brassiere and are bent to tightlyclamp the eyelet in place. A triangularly-shaped reinforcing tab 24 maybe stitched, or otherwise secured to the inside surface of the brassierefor more securely holding the eyelet and for strengthening the fabricsurrounding each eyelet. Each eyelet, when clamped in place, leaves anaperture 26 completely through the fabric of the brassiere which, aswill later be explained, enables fastening of the front end of ashoulder strap to the front of the brassiere.

Instead of a metal eyelet it is obviously possible to use eyelets ofother materials, or alternatively, to form an aperture in the brassierefabric and reinforce the edges thereof by stitching, or the like, thusavoiding the use of added metal, or plastic, parts.

Another pair of similar eyelets 22 are provided at the upper edges ofthe side sections, preferably near the closure ends 20 thereof, andthese are intended to receive the rear ends of the shoulder straps.

The pair of separate straps 12 may be formed of plain bias tape, stripsof ribbon material, or strips of any other suitable, flexible material,and may match the brassiere in color, or may match an outer garment andcontrast in color with the brassiere material. Each Strap is of suitablelength, about 15-18 inches, to extend across the shoulder of the wearerand leave sufficient material at the ends for connection to thebrassiere proper. Each strap is entirely free of clips, clasps, hooks,or other impedimentia, and consists wholly of a length of ribbon havingan abutment 28 at one end intended to engage one of the rear eyelets andprevent the strap from pulling through. Desirably, the abutment, asillustrated, comprises a decorative rosette formed of gathers, or pleatsof material secured at its center to the end edge of the strap, and needbe of a size only slightly larger than the aperture 26 in the eyelet.Obviously, other forms of an abutment may be used as, for example, abutton, a knot in the strap, a ring, a disc, or the like.

To assemble the straps with the brassiere, it is merely necessary topass the front end 30 of each strap through one of the rear eyelets 22and pull the strap entirely through the eyelet aperture 26 until therosette 28 engages the eyelet and the rear surface of the brassiere sidesection. This is most easily done before the brassiere proper is placedaround the torso of the wearer.

For persons already wearing the brassiere and wishing to replace astrap, particularly if they are obese, or otherwise lack dexterity dueto physical handicap, the rear clasp ends of the brassiere may bepartially, or completely unhooked to loosen the garment and with thefront ends of the straps unconnected, the brassiere may be rotatedaround the body to place the ends of the side sections in front of thewearer, whereupon the old straps may be easily removed by pulling on therosette, and new straps inserted through the rear eyelets now positionedat the front of the body. The brassiere may then be turned back aroundthe body to return the clasp portions 20 to the rear and re-clasped totighten the brassiere on the body.

To fasten the front ends of the straps to the front section 14 of thebrassiere and to adjust the strap lengths and the fit of the brassiereto the wearer, each front end 30, FIG. 4, is passed completely through afront eyelet 22 and extended upwardly and generally parallel, as at 32,to the strap portion covering the shoulder, then looped about saidportion, as at 34, and a bow 36 formed in end 30 is passed between thestrap parts 12 and 32 so as to form a slip, or half-bow knot. The loop,or bow 36 may then be pulled laterally to tighten the knot, as shown inFIG. 5, and the end of the strap 30 is tucked under the brassiere front.Since the bow knot may be formed at any position on the strap beforetightening, the wearer needs merely to adjust the length of the strappassed through the eyelet to the proper position for comfort beforeforming and tightening the knot to arrive at the appropriate adjustmentof the length of the strap. Obviously, if, during wear, the strap is tootight, or too loose, the knot may be loosened and readjusted veryquickly.

In removing the straps, it is first necessary to grasp and pull the ends30 to release the knots. Both straps can then be pulled out of the fronteyelets and lifted off the shoulders. The brassiere may then beunclasped at the back and removed from the body of the wearer, or may bemerely loosened and rotated around the body to place the rear in front,as explained above. The rosettes 28 may then be pulled to remove thestraps through the rear eyelets.

Of course, other forms of knots may be tied in the front ends of thestraps to fasten the straps and adjust the garment to the wearer.Preferably, some form of slip knot, which is as quickly and easilyknotted and unknotted as that illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5, should beused.

In FIG. 6 is shown an example of a modified brassiere in which the upperfront section above each breast cup is provided with a plurality ratherthan a single eyelet, and these are arranged to be both laterally andvertically spaced. In connecting the front end of the strap to the frontsection of the brassiere, any one of the four eyelets shown in FIG. 6may be selected to pass the strap through and tie the strap, asexplained above. This enables selection of an eyelet positioned to oneside, or the other, of the center, or an upper or a lower spaced eyelet,so as to provide optimum adjustment to the comfort of the wearer. Itshould be noted that with a number of eyelets grouped as in FIG. 6, thestrap may be passed outwardly through one, and inwardly through anotherand thus, continued through as many eyelets as desired. This will avoidthe need for knotting the strap as the convolutions of the strap througha number of eyelets will serve as an adequate fastening. The provisionof a group of eyelets spaced as shown in FIG. 6 may be made at the rearof the brassiere, as well as at the front.

FIG. 7 illustrates another modification in which a group of threeeyelets 22 and a reinforcing tab 24' are provided at the front, or ifdesired, at the rear of the brassiere, the eyelets being secured to thebrassiere in a horizontal line and being spaced laterally apart. Thisprovides for lateral position adjustment of the strap relying on thelongitudinal position of the knot in the strap for vertical adjustmentthereof.

It should be clear from the above description that the improvedbrassiere provides many advantages. The straps are unencumbered byclips, clasps, hooks, or similar devices, which in conventionalbrassieres are uncomfortable, difiicult to adjust, and exert pressureagainst the fabric of the straps or the brassiere which tends to wearthrough these fabrics. The straps may be easily and quickly adjusted, orreadjusted, and removed, or replaced, when torn, or soiled, to allowwashing the straps separately even though the brassiere is being worn atthe time of removal of the straps. An adjustment to lift and tighten, orlower and loosen the over-all fit of the garment for comfort andappearance may be made in the matter of a second or two by merelyunslipping the knot and retightening it in a new position.

While the invention has been described as embodied in a brassiere, itshould be obvious that any undergarment employing straps, such as slips,pajamas, or the like, may be provided with replaceable and adjustablestraps, as described herein.

Although certain specific embodiments of the invention have been shownand described, it is obvious that many modifications thereof arepossible. The invention, therefore, is not to be restricted exceptinsofar as is necessitated by the prior art and by the spirit of theappended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A garment comprising a front section and rearwardly extending sidesections, front and rear eyelets secured to said front and side sectionsrespectively and presenting apertures passing entirely therethrough, anda shoulder strap having an abutment larger than said rear eyelet at oneend only, the free end of said strap being first inserted through saidrear eyelet and pulled entirely therethrough to engage said abutment,then passed over the shoulder of a wearer and through said front eyelet,and finally pulled taut, looped and releasably knotted to comfortablyadjust the strap length and the garment position on a wearer.

2. A garment according to claim 1, wherein said strap consists only of astrip of material and said abutment, said abutment comprising adecorative rosette formed of gathered material.

3. A garment according to claim 1, wherein said garment front and sidesections comprise a brassiere, said eyelets being secured near the upperedges of said sections.

4. A garment according to claim 3, wherein said front section includes apair of breast cups, there being a pair of eyelets in said front sectionone secured thereto centrally above each of said cups.

5. A garment according to claim 3, wherein a plurality of eyelets spacedlaterally apart are provided in at least one of said sections forselective passage of said shoulder strap.

6. A garment according to claim 3, wherein a plurality of eyelets spacedvertically apart are provided in at least one of said sections forselective passage of said shoulder strap.

7. A garment according to claim 3, wherein said sections are eachreinforced in the area of securernent of said eyelets by a coveringlayer of material, said eyelets presenting apertures passing through thesection and the reinforcing layer of material.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 10 ADELE M. EAGER, PrimaryExaminer US. Cl. X,R. .3

